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 Eric Johnston

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Eric Johnston
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 4, 2015
Social sciences touted as climate changers at Kyoto tech forum
The role of social sciences in finding solutions to long-term energy and environmental problems will only grow in importance as the world works to meet its future energy needs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, participants at the opening day of the annual Science and Technology in Society forum said...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 1, 2015
Hashimoto, Matsui launch new national party focused on Osaka
Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto and Osaka Gov. Ichiro Matsui have once again ventured into national politics, announcing their new national party and saying it would be Osaka-focused.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Sep 30, 2015
Asian-American politicians challenge Kyoto youngsters to enter politics
Younger Japanese, especially women, should exercise not only their right to vote but also their right to hold elected office and enter politics, a visiting delegation of politicians from the United States said during a conference in Kyoto.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / KANSAI PERSPECTIVE
Sep 27, 2015
For Hashimoto, much at stake in name of new national party
Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto, who is trying to form a new national party to represent the Kansai region, is tasked with deciding on a suitable name.
Japan Times
JAPAN / KANSAI PERSPECTIVE
Sep 27, 2015
Will bureaucrats stymie Kyoto's bid to lure central government bodies out of Tokyo?
Every decade or so, it seems talk arises in Japan about relocating the functions of the central government outside the capital.
JAPAN / View from Osaka
Sep 24, 2015
Hashimoto gets typically Trump on protests
Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto is many things to many people, but nobody doubts his skill in the art of provocation.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 23, 2015
San Francisco unanimously adopts measure to build 'comfort women' memorial
San Francisco decided to build a memorial to commemorate the “comfort women,” despite protests from Toru Hashimoto, mayor of its sister city of Osaka.
Japan Times
JAPAN / History
Sep 22, 2015
Site of 1930s activism, Kyoto cafe is steeped in heritage
Nestled away on a side street just south of the busy intersection of Shijo and Kiyamachi streets, the Western facade of the Salon de the Francois cafe stands out amidst the traditional machiya wooden townhouses.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 14, 2015
Okinawa governor moves to revoke approval for Futenma replacement work
Okinawa Gov. Takeshi Onaga's announcement is likely to start a long, complicated legal battle over the fate of the Henoko area.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 9, 2015
Will he, won't he? Osaka Mayor Hashimoto keeps public guessing about future role in politics
Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto continues to fuel speculation that his political career will not end in November and that he might end up as an outside adviser to, or even a non-elected member of, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Cabinet by the end of the year.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 7, 2015
Hashimoto's new national party likely to closely resemble Ishin no To
Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto's new national political party, expected to be launched next month, will pursue the same basic neoliberal economic and structural reform policies as those of Ishin no To (Japan Innovation Party).
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 5, 2015
Osaka political jockeying continues as speculation grows Hashimoto may run in Upper House poll
Behind-the-scenes maneuvering in Osaka to create a new national political party and secure candidates for November's mayoral and gubernatorial elections continued in Osaka last week, with speculation growing that Mayor Toru Hashimoto will seek to run in next summer's Upper House poll.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Sep 2, 2015
'Violent outbreaks' feared after 13 yakuza brass split
A century after its founding, the Kobe-based Yamaguchi-gumi, Japan's largest and most notorious crime syndicate, appears to have expelled 13 of its approximately 70 affiliated gang leaders Tuesday, creating local fears of related gang violence.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Sep 1, 2015
Hashimoto continues to wrestle for support
The breakup of Ishin no To and the announcement by Toru Hashimoto that he plans to launch a new party once again exposes the deep rift between his Osaka followers and his detractors.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Aug 31, 2015
No exit in sight from Futenma quagmire, where local resentment is deep
In early August, it appeared Okinawa Gov. Takeshi Onaga might use his authority to cancel permission for the central government's landfill work on a U.S. facility in Henoko, where personnel from the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma are supposed to be relocated.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 25, 2015
Osaka drawing more foreign visitors; may see record 5 million this year
Thanks to a favorable exchange rate, relaxed visa restrictions, more discount airlines flying into Kansai airport and an increase in the number of duty-free shops downtown, the number of foreign visitors to Osaka this year is expected to top 5 million for perhaps the first time.
Japan Times
JAPAN / KANSAI PERSPECTIVE
Aug 23, 2015
Top-heavy, nuke-clinging Kepco faces liberated electricity market
News that 7-Eleven stores in the Kansai region will trade Kansai Electric Power Co.'s electricity in favor of cheaper electricity from Tokyo Electric Power Co. has locals wondering if Kepco's six-decade monopoly over Kansai's electricity supply might be ending.
Japan Times
JAPAN / KANSAI PERSPECTIVE
Aug 23, 2015
As Hashimoto's reign nears end, a divisive legacy remains
Assuming he does not once again change his mind and seek re-election, the curtain on Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto's local political career falls on Nov. 22, when voters elect a new mayor and governor.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 20, 2015
Shiga residents slam lawmaker who resigned from LDP amid money scandal
Lower House member Takaya Muto, who quit the Liberal Democratic Party on Wednesday over allegations of a financial scandal, has come under fire among his constituents in Shiga Prefecture for betraying their trust, and faces an uncertain future as an independent politician.
JAPAN / View from Osaka
Aug 15, 2015
Antinuclear activists need injection of fresh ideas
One of the basic jobs of any journalist is to cover public demonstrations. Not only do they make for great stories, they also provide the reporter with a chance to play amateur social anthropologist by observing how the individuals and groups involved interact with each other, and the public, before,...

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